Little hands create big fun

Hannelore Holland turns the chicken tenders to brown evenly on both sides.

Jam Waddy / The News Herald

By JAN WADDY / PanamaCity.com

Published: Tuesday, May 14, 2013 at 06:08 PM.

PANAMA CITY — Children often are told not to play with their food, but what if they were encouraged to do that, under the right circumstances? That’s exactly the type of environment Hannelore Holland’s Kids Cooking Class creates.

On a recent Saturday afternoon, children gathered at Somethin’s Cookin’ and learned how to make their own chicken tenders and marshmallow pastries with a few simple ingredients using fun techniques.

With “Miss Hannelore’s” guidance, children were encouraged to get their hands dirty — touching ingredients, even if it meant heading to the sink for a good, soapy hand scrubbing afterwards.

The children delighted in shaking the bag to coat their very own chicken tenders. Though the chicken was baked in the oven, the panko breadcrumbs gave them a little crunch. Everyone was so excited about their edible masterpieces, they didn’t seem to notice the adults had slipped them some healthy marina sauce with walnuts for dipping.

And when it came to the “Marsmallow Pastry,” as one boy named it, each wanted to leave their “signature” on the creation. A few extra chips were sprinkled on top of a couple, while others competed for the “fattest” one. Leftover marshmallows were passed around for snacking.

When the pastries were finished, 10 minutes later, children made “tornado” designs on their plates with raspberry preserves. The pastry was placed on the plate, then sprinkled with their freshly cut strawberries, and topped off with heavy sprinkles of powdered sugar. (A couple just dumped the sugar-filled sifter on their plates, rather than letting it sift through.) When making these warm, melt-in-your-mouth pastry treats at home, you just might want to make sure there is an extra one — or two — to go around for everyone.

The recipes were quick, making it easier to keep the children’s attention. The result was tasty food for any age. So, go ahead, invite your children into the kitchen, and one day, you just might be able to step out!

PANAMA CITY — Children often are told not to play with their food, but what if they were encouraged to do that, under the right circumstances? That’s exactly the type of environment Hannelore Holland’s Kids Cooking Class creates.

On a recent Saturday afternoon, children gathered at Somethin’s Cookin’ and learned how to make their own chicken tenders and marshmallow pastries with a few simple ingredients using fun techniques.

With “Miss Hannelore’s” guidance, children were encouraged to get their hands dirty — touching ingredients, even if it meant heading to the sink for a good, soapy hand scrubbing afterwards.

The children delighted in shaking the bag to coat their very own chicken tenders. Though the chicken was baked in the oven, the panko breadcrumbs gave them a little crunch. Everyone was so excited about their edible masterpieces, they didn’t seem to notice the adults had slipped them some healthy marina sauce with walnuts for dipping.

And when it came to the “Marsmallow Pastry,” as one boy named it, each wanted to leave their “signature” on the creation. A few extra chips were sprinkled on top of a couple, while others competed for the “fattest” one. Leftover marshmallows were passed around for snacking.

When the pastries were finished, 10 minutes later, children made “tornado” designs on their plates with raspberry preserves. The pastry was placed on the plate, then sprinkled with their freshly cut strawberries, and topped off with heavy sprinkles of powdered sugar. (A couple just dumped the sugar-filled sifter on their plates, rather than letting it sift through.) When making these warm, melt-in-your-mouth pastry treats at home, you just might want to make sure there is an extra one — or two — to go around for everyone.

The recipes were quick, making it easier to keep the children’s attention. The result was tasty food for any age. So, go ahead, invite your children into the kitchen, and one day, you just might be able to step out!

Chicken Fingers

1 egg

1 cup Panko Breadcrumbs

¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 pound boneless chicken tenderloins, cut into smaller pieces

1 tablespoon olive oil

Marinara sauce, for dipping

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Beat egg in a bowl, pour the breadcrumbs, salt, pepper and Parmesan in a large zip lock bag. Dip chicken pieces in the egg until coated, drop chicken into the bag with the breadcrumbs, three to four pieces at a time, seal the bag and shake to coat the chicken tenders. Pour the oil into a foil lined baking pan, bake for 10 minutes, turn over the chicken to brown, then bake for at least another 10 minutes until slightly golden brown. Use the marinara sauce for dipping.

Marshmallow Pastry

1 package of Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry

1 package of Nestle mini chocolate chips

Jumbo marshmallows

Fresh strawberries, diced

Roll out pastry crush, cut into squares, top with a marshmallow and sprinkle with mini chocolate chips, then fold pastry over into a purse, completely covering marshmallow. Bake in 400 degree oven for 10 minutes. Serve with fresh strawberries on a plate drizzled in raspberry sauce, then sprinkle all with powdered sugar.

Leftover pastry ends: Cut into rectangles, sprinkle with sugar and stick in the 400 degree oven for 10 minutes.

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